The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-05
Judge Harden and His Court.

SAVANNAH, GA, Oct. 4-Edjtor Morning
NerS: In the local columns of the MORN
ING News of Sept. % Monday, under the
heading prisoners Piling Up-The Jail
Overcrowded-Do Doubling Up in the Cells, ="
appeared the following: Il quote only as
much of the article rs applied to me-:
Neither Judge Harlem nor Judge Adams will
return before November, and what will be done
with the number of prisoners who will be com
mitted to jail in the meantime il q question of
importance. Even now it IS sometimes neces-
sary to put -four in one cell and the cells are not
large enough for any four human beings to live
in.
"One of the principal reasons for the estab lish
ing of the City Court was to have court that
would sit weekly and keep tho Jail clear, but in
adjourning fer four and five months al time
prevents the carrying out of this purpose, in
fiicts an unusual hardship upon the prisoners
and embaua asses the authorities very greatly
This amounts to a statement which the
public would regard as reliable;
l. That was certainly to be absent until
November.
IL. That it was principally to have a court
that would sit weekly, to clear the jail, that
the City Court was established and
Ill That defeated that object, inflicted
unusual harClsnps upon the prisoners, aud
embarrassed the authorities very greatly by
adJourning for four or five months at time
[ have no disposition to criticise the
writer further than to say that when it is
desired TO hold a public official up to public
Reproduction It would b, we'll to be at least
reasonably and moderately accurate in the
statement Of alleged tacys, something that
has been entirely neglected in this instance,
although the truth was exceedingly acceSsi-
BILE, AMI is rs .0.lows:
/. | left the city on July n by the posi-
tive order of ny physician, remaining i'm
the city for several days after he told me
must go. IN order In c.O5e the business of the
July term, civil ana criminal In leaving
stated publicly that | expected to remain
away until November unless l were sooner
needed, and left my address with the clerk.
letter from the Solicitor General advising
me that was needed, reached me on Satur-
day, Oct. |, and 81 ted home that night.
Thus the reporter was l.: error, though not
materially, and PROBABLY iuHorentiy.
ii. The City Court Was instituted IN 1919.
when the necessity for clearing the Jail was
not very pressing. Later IL was required to
sit once Il month, not weekly. Still as
Judge Chisholm, my predecessor, and have
held weekly sessions, voluntarily, and not
as an imposed duty. a careless or inaccu-
rate person might readily come to the CON
cusiUA seemingly reackei by your reporter,
although il rs hardly right 70 state as facts
that which is, at best. ,ut ms inference.
III. But the statement numbered III. is
simply inexplicabe. being without any
foundation, and OF an exceeding injurious
nature. My first commission bears date
Jan. -, 1878 Since then have held court
each month, in each year, except October,
up 20 my last absence, the occasion for this
statement. | have held every September
term until this YEAR until the work was all
done, and have taken from four to six weeks
vacation after ten and half to
eleven months work, and when the
extraordinary statement was printed
l had been absent but two months
and two days. and had | remained
until November, would have been away but
three months and seven days. But the
writer says four o. i've months at a time,
and in a way 10 imply that such has oc-
Cured more than once. and with lesser alb
sences between. The acts and omissions of
public official are legitimate subjects of
criticism, but he is entitled to have the truth
told, and the truth is all [ want.
Very truly yours, WIN. ID. HARDEN.
N n =.